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Tumor found in jailed Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu’s lung after hospitalization

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Tumor found in jailed Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu’s lung after hospitalization

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New York, May 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Chinese authorities to grant medical parole to jailed journalist Dong Yuyu so he can receive urgent treatment for a potentially dangerous lung tumor.

“Dong Yuyu requires immediate attention for a fast-growing lung tumor and a host of other medical concerns,” said CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “His advanced age and the harsh conditions of his imprisonment make this an imperative. Chinese authorities must do the humane thing and act now so he can receive medical treatment.”

Dong, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for espionage, was admitted on April 28 to a prison-affiliated hospital in Tianjin due to heart palpitations and discomfort, his son, Yifu, told CPJ. A CT scan revealed a tumor in the lower segment of the 64-year-old’s left lung, a mass that could be malignant and requires further scans to determine its nature, Yifu said.

The tumor — measuring 3.3 by 2.2 cm — has grown rapidly, and Dong has become very thin, according to Yifu. More tests are scheduled for this week.

A medical examination also revealed arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, that has prompted doctors to fit Dong with a Holter monitor, which records heart rhythms for 24 hours a day, Yifu said.

Dong, a former editor and columnist at the state-owned Guangming Daily, has been imprisoned since he was arrested in February 2022 while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing.

He was convicted of espionage in November 2024 and, after delays in his appeal hearing, the Beijing High Court upheld his seven-year sentence in November 2025.

On March 17, Dong was transferred from a prison in Beijing to another facility in Tianjin, where he is being forced to make garments for nine hours a day on a prison diet with little nutritional value and barely any protein. What was once a 40-minute drive for his family to visit him, now takes more than two hours.

China is the world’s top jailer of journalists, with at least 51 behind bars, according to CPJ data.

CPJ has been advocating for Dong’s freedom for years and honored him with a 2025 International Press Freedom Award.

The Beijing Municipal Prison Administration did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.

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